Chapter 77

Kadeem

Kadeem staggered into his office the next day, but just barely. He was exhausted and his head felt achy and heavy, his mind sluggish.

He put his hand in his pocket, feeling for the amethyst stone, only to realize it was still in the pocket of his jeans from yesterday - now laying in a pile of dirty laundry. He was on his own, and reached for a bottle of ibuprofen instead.

He settled at his desk and scanned through his emails. The room was silent but for the gentle hum of his computer. As his gaze crawled over the screen, he began to feel more and more frustrated. The words on the screen blurred together and the harsh blue light stung his eyes.

Giving up for the moment, he switched off the screen to dull the irritating light and put his head in his hands, just as a knock came at the door.

“Come in,” he grumbled, unable to muster the energy to even look up.

A light voice rippled through the air. “Good morning.”

Greta. Something in her voice jolted him to attention and he snapped his head up from his hands.

She stood in the doorway, wearing her LuluLemon best, her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her ruby lips formed a hard line.

“The note on the counter caught my eye,” she said, shifting her weight delicately from one foot to the other. “I can help with whatever you need - phone calls, sending out emails, whatever.”

Kadeem shook his head slowly, struggling to piece together his foggy thoughts. “Er, I’m a little confused,” he mumbled.

Her brow creased with apprehension. “I can help you cancel the classes and appointments,” she said hesitantly.

He glared at her, growing more and more confused by the second, aggravation multiplied exponentially.

Greta closed her eyes and smacked her hand against her forehead. “ Shit! You haven’t seen her note yet, have you?”

Kadeem felt his heart quicken. "What are you talking about?”

"Chelsea's note," Greta said, clasping her hands together timidly. "The one she left on the front desk.”

He shot up out of his chair and flew into the lobby, where he laid eyes on a brief, hand-written letter from Ardal, announcing her immediate resignation.

Instantly, Kadeem felt the bile rise in his throat. His stomach twisted into tight knots.

He set to work, applying some quick, band-aid fixes to the scheduling. The trainers and gym members began to filter in, and finally, he could take it no more.

"Hold down the fort for me, will you," he called out to Greta and Dylan as he jogged to the back door.

When he arrived, Kadeem rapped sharply on the front door, confident the kids were at school for one of the last remaining days before summer break.

Ardal opened the door. Wearing no make-up and an oversized white t-shirt with black leggings, her hair knotted in a messy braid, he thought her devastatingly beautiful in a vulnerable, unedited version of herself.

While she was never one to overdo make-up, perfectly dress or coif her hair, he hadn't seen her in such an easy, natural state of flow since they were married.

But why would he, he reminded himself with a bitterness. He was her boss now, not a boyfriend, and certainly not a husband. Not even a friend.

It sent a pang of heartache through his chest. He swallowed, reminding himself why he was there.

"What the hell is this," he said, thrusting the letter at her.

She glared at him, her eyes burning with rage. "How could you actually believe I would continue to work for you after what you did to Jack?"

"Go back to the replay," Kadeem said. "He took the first swing!"

She shook her head incredulously. "Unbelievable. Well, I'm done, and there's nothing you can say that will change my mind."

She pushed at the door, trying to slam it shut in his face, but Kadeem caught it and wrenched it open wide.

"You don't know what I've found out about him," he said. "There's more to the story."

She paused for a moment, her dark lashes fluttering, then tightened her lips. "I don't care," she said, shrugging. "I really don't."

"Can you at least hear me out?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yesterday didn't exactly score you any points of favor with me."

"I'm sorry," he growled. "Can we move past it?"

Ardal raised her eyebrow and let out a disdainful laugh. "Really? That's your apology?"

He sighed. "I'm trying here." He rubbed his pounding head. "Not really at my best with words right now."

"Clearly," Ardal snorted. "I mean, it's obvious you're not sincere," she said. "And there's no point in trying to fake it."

"I am sincere," Kadeem said, jutting his chin forward defiantly. "Sorry for how I hurt you, but not him," he said gruffly. "I'm not sorry in the least for that."

Ardal cocked her head in disbelief. "Well, at least you're honest, I guess." She released a slow breath through pursed lips. "Look, I have things I'm working on right now -"

Urgency gripped him. "He was involved in the murder of one of my gammas."

Ardal blanched. "What?"

"That's right," Kadeem said.

"That's not possible," she said weakly.

"Riley was there, too," he said. "He was in the woods, casting some kind of spell."

Ardal's brow furrowed. She was staring at him like he'd suddenly sprouted antlers. "You sure that's not the concussion talking?"

"No," Kadeem said, gritting his teeth. "You can talk to Riley."

She shook her head. "Your Beta will tell me she saw Jack casting a spell -"

"She wouldn't recognize him, but we both saw a figure in the woods -"

"And it was Jack," Ardal said, tone thick with skepticism.

"The figure itself wasn't recognizable,” Kadeem said, running his hand through his hair as he tried to fight the impatient frustration growing inside of him. For the second time today, he felt as though he was communicating in a dialect know one else could understand.

“He was standing in a stream of blinding light,” Kadeem continued, “And then Riley and I were both knocked unconscious. But it was his scent there, Chels. Unmistakable!"

The sound of a car horn momentarily stole Ardal’s attention. She looked back at him with a weariness. "Kadeem, I just - I'm having a hard time believing this. And what does this have to do with your gamma?"

Kadeem stared into her eyes. "We followed the scent trail from where we found his body."

Ardal blanched. "Jack's scent?"

Kadeem cleared his throat and shifted anxiously, wishing there weren’t so many complicated layers to this. "The scent of vampires," he admitted.

Ardal threw her arms across her chest. "None of this makes any sense," she said. "I don't see then how you connect the dots to Jack -"

Kadeem threw up his hands. "Because that led us to a clearing in the woods where he was casting a fucking spell and his scent was all over that area!"

Ardal glared at him. "He's a pediatrician, for Christ’s sake!” But there was some alarm stretched across her face.

Kadeem scowled at her, unable to fight back the sarcastic remark from his tongue. "I mean, I don't think that's exculpatory evidence, last I checked."

To his surprise, Ardal cast her eyes downward. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

The truth hit him in the face. "You don't really trust him," he said. "Do you?"

She looked up at him, her face bright red with embarrassment. "Of course, I do," she said defensively.

Kadeem studied her. "No," he said plainly. "I don't think you do."

A robin fluttered down from a tree and began pecking at the ground nearby. Ardal was clutching the edge of her shirt, her fingers twisting and kneading its fabric.

He could sense the inner workings of her mind - the doubt, the instincts she wanted to shut down, but couldn't. And then, in an instant, something within her changed - snapping, like a foot stepping on a twig.

A serene determination washed over her face as she met his eyes. "Kadeem," she said slowly, "I appreciate your concern. I'm sorry for the loss of your gamma, and I hope you uncover who was responsible, but I know Jack is a good man, and I've already made up my mind to go with him."

Panic struck his heart. "Go with him," Kadeem cried out.

"Yes," she said. "We're leaving the Red Moon pack for good. Together."

"What?" Kadeem felt sick to his stomach. "Where are you going?"

"Pack X," she said firmly. "To start a new life."

"Well, I - I forbid it," Kadeem stuttered desperately.

Ardal narrowed her eyes at him.

"You have to have pack approval," Kadeem spat out. "As Alpha, I forbid it." He glared at her, daring her to argue.

She put one hand on her hip. "Then I won't bother with pack approval.”

"See how far that takes you," Kadeem shot back, anger spilling out of his words.

Ardal halted right in front of him. All the fire within her seemed to fade away in an instant.

"Just let me go," she pleaded softly.

Then she turned and pressed the door closed, clicking it shut in such a gentle, sad retreat, it stunned him.